The Man, the Myth, the Buddha
Scholars Donald S. Lopez Jr. and Stephen Batchelor discuss what we lose when we drop the Buddha’s mythological dimension and, simultaneously, what we gain by leaning into his humanity.
Buddha
The historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, was a prince who lived about 2,600 years ago. After leaving his palace and discovering the realities of sickness, old age, and death for the first time, he resolved to understand and transcend suffering. He awakened under the Bodhi tree in modern day Bodhgaya, India, and began to teach the four noble truths, and the path to liberation from samsara—the cycle of birth, suffering, and death.
Remythologizing the Buddha
Scholar Donald S. Lopez Jr. discusses the dangers of stripping away the supernatural elements of the Buddha’s life.
Revisiting the Story of the Buddha’s Life
Scholar Donald S. Lopez Jr. lays out a “remythologized” account of the story of the Buddha, highlighting the supernatural elements of his life.
Knowing Nirvana
Revisiting the story of the the Buddha’s awakening under the Bodhi tree
The Buddha Rises from His Coffin to Speak with Mahamaya
An excerpt from a Chinese Buddhist scripture recording the Buddha’s mother’s descent from heaven to speak with him one last time after his entrance into nirvana
TeachingsMagazine | Teachings, What's in a Word?
What’s in a Word: Buddha
Shedding light on the Enlightened One
Inside Asia Society’s ‘Buddha, Sage of the Shakya Clan’ Exhibit
Immaculate works of art from the Mr. and Mrs. John D. Rockefeller 3rd Collection capture the life of the Buddha.
The Thousand and One Lives of the Buddha
In this episode of Tricycle Talks, scholar Bernard Faure discusses the literary and mythological aspects of the Buddha’s life story that are often overlooked.
Time to Wake Up
If enlightenment is possible in this life, then why haven't more of us reached it? A Buddhist scholar and practitioner makes a call for genuine awakening.
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